A brief story about an unlawful dismissal and our case, which has just reached its two-year mark.
A Short Look Back
September 2023. An ordinary employee from a large Ukroboronprom enterprise came to me for a consultation.
By that time, he had already received three disciplinary reprimands within just ten days.
Feeling that the situation was deeply unfair, he decided to challenge those orders.
We filed a lawsuit — even before he was dismissed.
About a week later (early October 2023), he received a dismissal order — “fired under article”, as people say.
In October 2023, we filed another claim — to cancel the dismissal order, reinstate him in his position,
and recover lost wages, which at that time amounted to ₴148,000.
And that’s how a two-year legal battle began.
How to Get Rid of an “Inconvenient Employee”
This case reminded me of the story of Cinderella.
A person comes to work with a defined list of duties.
Yet every single day, his management invents new tasks, presented as “daily assignments.”
Out of 67 tasks, only 5 were not completed — for good reason. Still, that became the excuse for disciplinary action.
On Devaluing Highly Qualified Specialists
My client is a top-level engineer with 18 years of experience. His work involves large and complex industrial equipment.
During all those years, there were zero accidents — and even the percentage of harmful working conditions was reduced.
While the government constantly speaks about the shortage of technical specialists,
our engineers are often ignored or even pushed aside.
In one interview, a soldier was asked: “Who’s the most important person in the army?”
He replied: “The one who fixes the equipment.” That says it all about the true value of engineers.
My Role in the Case
After filing the lawsuits, they were combined into a single proceeding and transferred to the commercial court
(because the company was undergoing bankruptcy).
I prepared the case according to commercial procedure. After a year of hearings — the court rejected the claim.
We filed an appeal — it was dismissed. My client was discouraged, but I wasn’t.
I prepared a cassation appeal to the Supreme Court and requested exemption from the court fee (₴18,000).
The Supreme Court accepted the case and granted the exemption.
In April 2025, the Commercial Cassation Court within the Supreme Court partially satisfied our complaint,
canceled two previous rulings, and sent the case for a new review.
From May 2025, the case was reheard — and on September 25, 2025, the court ruled in our favor:
all orders were canceled, my client reinstated, and ₴485,000 awarded in compensation.
Conclusions
- Life goes on, no matter what happens.
- Every change for the better starts with a different perspective.
- Don’t look back — accept the change and plan your future.
My client has now started a new season in life.
Personal Reflections
During the process, my opponent threatened me, filed complaints to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU),
and accused me of “subversive activity.”
But such methods only harm those who use them.
In cases involving human life, labor, and health — there are no absolute winners or losers.
A person always suffers.
And a company that acts in such a way always loses something too.
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